1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capillary electrophoresis device for separating and analyzing a sample such as a DNA and a protein by electrophoresis. Particularly, the present invention relates to a holder for holding a solution such as a sample solution, a buffer solution, an assy solution, and a rinse.
2. Description of the Related Art
A solution for a sample, an assy, a buffer, a rinse or the like used in a capillary electrophoresis device is stored in a container hermetically sealed by a septum. A capillary comes into contact with the liquid in the container through a hole opened in the septum.
The septum is made of an elastic material. When the capillary penetrates into the hole in the septum, the hole contracts by an elastic force, and thus the septum hermetically seals the surrounding of the capillary. When the capillary is inserted into the hole in the septum, a driving force is needed to push the capillary into the hole against a friction force between the capillary and the hole. Additionally, when the capillary is pulled out from the hole in the septum, a driving force is needed to pull out the capillary against the friction force. When the capillary is pulled out from the hole in the septum, the septum may be also lifted from the container due to the friction force between the capillary and the hole. When the friction force is large, not only the septum but also the container may be lifted together with the capillary.
In order to solve this problem, a stripper has been used conventionally as described in WO2002/079773 or the like. When a capillary is pulled out from a septum, the stripper prevents the septum and its container from lifting up by pressing the septum down.
Moreover, a capillary electrophoresis device described in WO2002/090968 is provided with a guide which prevents various containers, such as a buffer container and a microtiter plate for storing a sample, from being taken off from a container-accommodation unit, when a capillary is inserted into or pulled out from the various containers.